Brett DeLange, chief of the Idaho Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, knows about identity theft. A couple of months ago, a store called to confirm that he had ordered five video cameras. He hadn’t.
Some criminal had gotten his credit card number — including the three-digit security code on the back of the card — called the store and ordered the cameras, he said.
DeLange immediately checked his credit card online and found several other fraudulent charges. He notified the credit card company, which canceled the account and took care of the charges.
“To this day I don’t know how” the thief got his credit-card information, DeLange said. “It’s very frustrating. I’m very careful, I don’t leave things lying around.”
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Identity theft is one of the top complaints among Idahoans recorded by the Internet Crime Complaint Center, a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. The center receives Internet-related criminal complaints mostly from victims for research and distribution to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
In 2010, about 19 percent of 1,246 complaints received from Idahoans were for identity theft. That was topped only by complaints about undelivered merchandise or payments at 20 percent. The highest single amount lost that year, $120,000, was due to identity theft.
DeLange said Idahoans should monitor their credit card statements closely because the cards have protection from fraudulent purchases if customers dispute the charges properly.
People also should check their credit report at least once a year, he said. It will tell you how many times you’ve applied for credit and help you figure out if someone has applied for credit in your name.
“Then you know you’ve got a serious problem,” he said.
Residents should protect their mail, too. Shred statements when you’re done with them. Don’t leave mail in the mailbox overnight. Don’t leave payments in the mailbox for the postal worker to pick up. Instead, take them to a secure postal box or the post office.
DeLange says to make sure your computer has proper virus and spyware protection. He recommends that you don’t store account numbers on the computer.
The attorney general’s website, http://www.ag.idaho.gov, has a manual on tips for protecting yourself from identity theft and other resources and links to use if you are a victim of it.
“We are all potentially vulnerable,” DeLange said. “We need to pay close attention so it doesn’t harm us.”
